Hannon hopeful resurgent Mums Tipple will stay the mile to land another big pot

Bombardier All-Weather Mile Championships Conditions Stakes | 1m | 4yo+ | ITV4/Sky

None of the races on All-Weather Finals Day have Pattern status yet, which can make it difficult to pin down the required standard.

The Mile meets the strict definition set by the Pattern committee for a race to be of Listed class, although on average the winning RPR in this race has been 2lb below the level achieved by the Listed Doncaster Mile winner across the same timeframe. Thinking of it as an average Listed race would seem to be a fair approximation.

That is especially true this year, as this is almost certainly an above-average running. Since the dying days of October five of the ten runners have posted an RPR of 110, which is the same as the average winning performance since this race was inaugurated in 2014.

Technically, the top-rated is Documenting on his handicap win here in October, although Ray Dawson could claim 5lb that day and cannot now. The recency of Khuzaam's Chelmsford win last month, 1lb lower on the bare figures, means it is rightly viewed as stronger currency and it carries this lightly-raced sort to the top of the betting.

Khuzaam has had the same number of starts and boasts the same number of wins as Mums Tipple, which may come as a surprise to some. That the latter had failed to go on from his stunning win at York as a two-year-old became something of a running joke, which persisted even after he won at Wolverhampton three weeks ago.

For those who still trust that York was not a mirage, this race centres on Mums Tipple. Can Wolverhampton be taken as resurrection or dead cat bounce? Even if it is the former, there is a legitimate question about the track. Mums Tipple is a fast horse, which is not always the right recipe to excel at Lingfield.

If you want a horse for Lingfield, find one that can finish fast. On that basis the record held by French horses on All-Weather Finals Day makes a lot of sense, as races in France tend to put even more emphasis than those in Britain on settling before powering home.

There have been four French-trained runners in this race, with their form figures reading 5142. Silver Quartz tries to enhance the record this year and, on ratings alone, he is up against it to a greater extent than his odds imply.

However, the Franco-Surrey racing style also tends to mask superiority and make big performances on the ratings difficult to come by. Silver Quartz has looked to have more in hand when winning at Deauville and Chantilly the last twice, although that is built in to his price.
Keith Melrose, betting editor

Mums Tipple aims to stay the distance

This time last year trainer Richard Hannon was pondering whether Mums Tipple, a devastating 11-length winner at York the previous summer, would stay a mile in the 2,000 Guineas.

A year on, that question remains unanswered after a wilderness season for the four-year-old when he finished last, or nearly last, in each of his four races as memories of his lightning turn of foot on the Knavesmire began to dim.

However, having been gelded over the winter, Mums Tipple returned to the winner’s enclosure for the first time since York with a classy display in the Listed Lady Wulfruna Stakes at Wolverhampton last month.

That prompted the handicapper to notch him back up 7lb to 109, the joint-highest rating in the field for this contest alongside Khuzaam.

“Mums Tipple is in great form,” Hannon said. “I was very pleased with his last run – it was a smart performance – and he looks like he is going the right way.

“Finals Day will be the first time he has run over a mile since the Guineas. I’m hoping it won’t be an issue as he got the seven furlongs really well at Wolverhampton.”

What they say

Tony Fry, racing manager to Nurlan Bizakov, owner of Canagat
We were a little disappointed with Canagat last time. The way the race panned out didn’t suit as it turned into a sit and sprint, but he has come out of it well. His form behind Wally looks pretty good and a reproduction of that should see him run well.

Kevin Frost, trainer of Documenting
Ray Dawson won on him at Lingfield last year and was adamant that, if ridden properly, he would get a mile around there.

Alastair Donald, racing manager for King Power Racing, owners of Fox Duty Free
Fox Duty Free has been very impressive in his three wins at Lingfield – now that we have gotten over his stalls issue – and he has been freshened up with this race in mind. A couple of his runs at two were decent and then he became a bit of a monkey. He is still a bit tricky, but Ralph has done a very good job with him. We don’t yet know where his ceiling is and, although he has to improve a fair bit on ratings, he is showing that he could do.

Roger Varian, trainer of Khuzaam
Khuzaam is in good order and I expect a mile around Lingfield to suit him very well. He was probably a bit rusty when he won at Chelmsford. It looks as though he has come forward from that run and we have been very pleased with him since. The Mile looks a competitive race this year and it will take a smart performance to win it.

Francis Graffard, trainer of Silver Quartz
I am very happy with Silver Quartz – I think he heads to Lingfield in very good form. It looks an obvious race to go for because he likes the Polytrack and the mile is a good distance for him. Chantilly was another nice performance from him – and I think the confidence of the horse at the moment is very high.
Reporting by Peter Scargill

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